William h



W. H.- BELL.

Primer for Fire-Arm; v No. 22,618. Patented Jan. 18. 1859.

% I I mwwa NJEIERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON, D. C.

ITE STATES PATEN OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. BELL, OF \VASI-IINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SELF-PRIMER FOR FIREARMS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,618, dated January 11, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM H. BELL, of the city of \Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Self-Primers for Firearms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing of the same, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1, represents a side elevation of a hammer and lock embracing my improvement. Fig. 2 an elevation of the inner side of the hammer detached from the lock; and Fig. 3, a side elevation of the other side and partial section of the same to show the ar rangement and operation of the magazine. Fig. 4 represents a plan of the arm that detaches and forces the cap into the hammer as the latter descends to explode it; and Fig. 5, a side elevation of the same. Fig. 6, represents the shield or case in condition to receive the primers previous to being placed into the hammer; and Fig. 7, same, after the caps have been discharged from it, and-Fig. 8 the plunger that feeds them up, detached. Fig. 9 represents a plan of the inside of the guard or shield plate which is arranged in front of the mouth of the magazine, detached from the hammer and Fig. 10, a side elevation of the same. Fig. 11, represents a front view of the hammer showing in dotted lines, and in red ink the operation of the slide that detaches the cap and forces it into position in the exploding chamber of the hammer preparatory to being exploded.

My improvement relates more particularly to that class of self primers in which the magazine is located in the hammer of the lock. These as heretofore constructed, are imperfect, as they are inconvenient to charge, from the fact that the individual members of the operative parts of the magazine have to be withdrawn separately from the hammer, whenever it is necessary to be charged. Again no means have heretofore been provided, by which it can be determined whether caps still remain in the magazine after use without taking it to pieces as in the case of charging the magazine, a course not only inconvenient but troublesome.

The object of my invention is to remedy these defects-and it consists first in combining with the plunger or piston and spring that operates it, together with the screw or other device used for securing them in the hammer, a shield or case for the reception of the caps, in such manner that the whole shall be withdrawn from the hammer simultaneously, so that the caps may be inserted into the shield and the whole then replaced and secured in the hammer; by means of which the operation of charging is greatly facilitated.

Secondly, my improvement consists in providing the side of the hammer with a slot arranged at the front or discharging end of the magazine chamber, by means of which and a slot in the side of the shield, and a pin secured on the side of the piston, it can readily be determined whether the magazine contains caps, or the last been discharged, without the necessity of with drawing the operative parts of the magazine from the hammer.

To enable others skilled in the art to make, construct and use my invention I will now proceed to describe its several parts in detail.

In the accompanying drawing the head of the hammer (a) is represented as being slightly enlarged to furnish room for the magazine chamber (5) in this instance consisting of a cylindrical hole traversing the whole of the head of the hammer in a horizontal direction, and tapering slightly at its forward end, or that part next the end of the hammer which comes in contact with the nipple (cl) of the lock To this chamber is fitted a hollow removable shield (f) for the reception of the caps (g) (and which are of the wafer variety) the shield (f) is secured at one end to the screw head (h) by means of which it is held in place in the magazine, the screw head (72,) for this purpose being made to take into a screw thread cut on the rear end of the magazine chamber (2)). But instead of being a screw fastening, the shield may be attached to a bayonet or other suitable attachment, and in that way be held in place in the magazine chamber, or easily removed therefrom for the purpose of charging with caps.

In the shield (f) is arranged a plunger or piston (2') around the piston rod (j) of which is coiled a spring (70) having its bearings respectively on the inner end of the piston (i) and screw head (h), for which purpose, and for another to be presently described, the piston rod is made long enough to enter into a perforation formed in and passing entirely through the screw head (it), as shown in Figs. 3 and 6 of the drawings.

In the side of the shield (f) is cut a slot (112-) in which a pin (a) secured in or otherwise formed on the piston rod traverses, the shield is so made that when secured in the hammer the forward end of the slot (m) shall be brought directly in a range or line with another slot (0) cut in the side of the hammer head (a). By this arrangement on looking through the slots you can always determine whether the magazine contains caps, as when all are expended, the pin on the side of the piston rod will have traversed through the entire length of the slot (1%) and be stopped immediately opposite the forward end of the slot (0) that is to say the end next the part of the hammer that comes in contact with the nipple.

In the rear end of the slot and on one or both sides a recess (p) is cut for the purose of facilitating the charging of the shield with the caps, for which purpose the plunger is forced back to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 6 by means of the pin (a) or until the latter is opposite the recess (79) when it is turned partially around until the pin engages with the latter, and the caps then placed in the shield, and the latter re turned to the magazine chamber (6) and secured to the hammer by means of the screw head (it) for which purpose a thumb screw (r) may be formed on its outer end. Thus secured the rear end, of the piston rod, (which, while the plunger is forced back for the purpose of charging, extends through the screw head (it) as seen in Figs. 3 and 6) is then turned partially around so as to disengage the pin from the notch or recess 9) and allow the spring to act on the plunger and thus force the caps up against a guard plate (g) arranged in the end of the hammer, and in such position that they may be easily detached from each other and forced into the chamber (.9) that forms the striking end of the hammer by a slide (t) working in a slot (10) or groove formed between the guard plate (9) and the head of the hammer, as shown in Fig. 8. On the upper end of this slide or arm, is formed a curved depression of a size and shape to embrace the edge of the cap and hold it in place until deposited in the discharging chamber (8) of the hammer. This slide is so arranged and operated as that it will be withdrawn from the groove (to) on the raising of the hammer as shown in black lines in Fig. 1, and, forced up into the groove on the descent of the hammer shown in red lines in the same figure. The descent of the hammer on the nipple by centrifugal force retains the cap when forced into the discharging-chamber (s) by the slide (t) in the proper position to be discharged.

The operation of the slide is efiected by mounting it t its lower end on a pin (0) secured to the side-of the lock (6), but as the slide and hammer in order to give the proper motion to the former at the right time, necessarily must move in the arcs of circles of independent centers, and as they still must move in unison with each other it will'be clear that some means must be provided to compensate for the necessary variation in their orbits, for which purpose instead of simply mounting the slide on the pin with a bearing to fit the latter, a slot (w) of suitable size and shape is formed in which the pin plays, which will compensate for any difference in their path of motion.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that my improvement may be attached to any percussion look by the simple addition of the pin ('0) and the substitution of my magazine hammer for the one with which it was previously provided, with great facility and at little cost. It may here also be observed by providing the front part of the hammer with a movable guard plate (q) that in the event of the groove (it) becoming clogged or choked up by a large cap, or in the event of its requiring to be cleaned out, it can readily be effected by the simple withdrawal of the guard plate from the hammer for which purpose the former is simply secured to the latter by means of a dovetail, a feature of great practical value.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The combination of the shield (f) plunger spring (is) and screw head (72,) in the manner described with the magazine chamber (1)) for the purposes set forth.

2. The arrangement and combination of the pin (a) on the piston and slot in the shield (f) with the slot (0) in. the Eidp of the hammer for the purpose speci- 3. The removable guard plate (g) as arranged and operated for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto set my hand to this specification.

WILLIAM H. BELL.

Witnesses P. HANNAY, PAsoAL PLANT. 

